Mechanical clothes washer



July 1937- v 'P. E. GELDHOF 2,088,551

' MECHANICAL CLOTHES WASHER Filed May 25, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 u y 7, 1937. I R E. GELDHOF 2,088,551

MECHANI CAL CLOTHES WASHER Filed May 25, 1955 s Shets-Sheet 2 I f INVEVNTEIR WITNESS BY Z I ATFEIRNEYS July 27, 1937.

P. E. GELDHOF MECHANICAL CLOTHES WASHER 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 25, 1955 Patented July 27, 1937 UNITED ST T PATENT OFFICE MECHANICAL CLOTHES WASHER Pettber Eduard Geldhof, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor EasyW ashing Machine Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application May 25, 1933, Serial No. 672,824

12 Claims.

vide an economically constructed power-driven machine which is capable of expeditiously and thoroughly washing clothes.

10 A more specific object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which will simultaneously produce movement of the clothes and washing fluid in many different directions so as to thoroughly agitate and circulate the clothes and fluid 15 and, at the same time, tend to prevent the clothes from being grouped together.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a washing machine having an agitator or dolly which, during its rotary movement about an axis eccentric with respect to the vat, acts upon the clothes from a position at one side of the center of the vat instead of at the center thereof and which also revolves bodily through the clothes and washing fluid in a predetermined path or orbit about the center of the vat during its simul:

taneous rotary movement whereby the clothes and washing fluid will be revolved about the center of the vat and at the same time be caused to move about the axis of the dolly.

30 Other objects and advantages relate to the mechanism for operating the dolly and transmitting to the dolly its simultaneous rotary and revolving movements, all as will hereinafter more fully appear from the following description taken 35 in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through the center of the washing machine vat and dolly taken in the plane of the line l-.l, Figure 2.

1 40 Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line. 2-2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially in the plane of the line 3-3, Figure 1.

45 Figure 4 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional,

view taken on line 4-4, Figure 3.

, Figure 5 is an enlarged detail horizontal sec- 56 Figure! is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 1-1, Figure 6, illustrating the dolly in plan view. t

The invention, as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, of the drawings, comprises a tub or vat I, preferably circular in horizontal cross-section 5 and which is mounted upon a base 2 which, in turn, is supported by a plurality of legs 3. The vat I may be, as shown, provided with a removable cover 4 and has the bottom thereof provided with an opening at substantially its central portion in alignment with a similar opening provided in the upper end 5 of the base 2 for the reception of a flanged bearing sleeve 6. This sleeve 6 has one end externally threaded and extended downwardly through said opening in the vat l5 and base and is screw-threaded in an upwardly extending portion 1 secured to or made integral with a gear case 8 which, in this instance, is shown as being integral with the case of a motor 9. The extension 1 is utilized to secure the sleeve in position by clamping the vat and base between the sleeve flange as.6' and the upper end of the extension 1. Suitable packing members as l0 may, as shown, be conveniently positioned-relative to the sleeve, vet and base so as to render said connection water-tight. The exterior of the upper end of the sleeve 6 is reduced in diameter and has mounted thereon a spur gear l2 which is maintained .against movement relative to the sleeve by a key I3 so that the gear will be maintained in fixed predetermined relation to the bottom [4 of the vat I. t

The sleeve 6 is provided-with a central opening which extends vertically therethrough concentric with the gear I2. A vertically disposed drive shaft I5 is journaledat one end in the opening in said sleeve and extends downwardly through the extension 1 into the gear case 8; the lower end of said shaft being journaled in the lower end of the extension 1. The shaft is maintained against downwardly axial movement by a collar l6 mounted on said shaft and positioned within the extension 1 above the lowerbearing member as l8.

The shaft I5 is driven, in this instance, by the motor 9 which may be secured in any well-known manner to the base 2 through the medium of a train of gears which consists, in this instance,

of a worm 20. secured to or made integral with the armature shaft 2| of the motor 9 and a worm gear 22 mounted in the gear case 8 and secured to the lower end of the shaft IS. The upper end of the shaft I 5 extends a relatively short distance beyond the upper end of the sleeve 6 and has secured thereto an arm 24 which extends outwardly from the shaft in a horizontal plane and has secured in the outer end thereof a vertically disposed bearing sleeve 25, which, in turn, has journaled therein a' dolly shaft 26. This shaft ex- The gear 28 is rotatably mounted upon a' stud 29 which is secured at its upper end to the arm n 24, said gear being also in meshing engagement with the fixed gear l2. An inverted cup-shaped cover 23 is secured to the upper face of the arm 24 and has the side walls thereof extended downw'ardly about the gear members I2, 21 and 28 and terminates a short distance above the bot-- tom 14 of the vat -l, said cover being adapted to encase said arm and gears, with the lower edge thereof terminating so as to substantially completely conceal these members and prevent clothes or fabric being drawn by suction or otherwise into the-gears.

The dolly 30 proper is of novel design, being of v substantially mushroom or inverted cup-shaped formation, and comprises a substantiallyfia't or slightly curved circular upper end 3i integrally --connected atits periphery with a conical side 30 wall :2; This wallextends towithin a relatively short distance of the bottom l4 of the .vat land is tapered downwardly and outwardly from the end 3| and terminates at its lower edge in an outwardly extending annular flange portion 33 i which is slightly inclined downwardly from the inner edge thereof. -It is preferable that the outer edgeof the flange 33 be irregular in outline to more efficaciously engage the clothing and produce a rubbing cleansingaction thereon, and for this purpose, the outer edge of the flange, as

shown more clearly in Figure 2, is scalloped or' corrugated as at 34L 7 The dolly is also provlded'with a plurality of,

I in this instance seven, radially disposed ribs35 5 whichextendaxially of--the sidewall 32 from the head to the flange 33,.' said ribs, in this'instance, being of-slightly less'i'adial width than the flange 33 and each has the lower end thereof merging into said flange. The dolly head 3| is provided with a pendent; socket member 36 which receives the upper end of the. dolly shaft- 26, said dolly heing'removably secured to the.

shaft by a' screw 31 screw-threaded into the upper end of the shaft 26.

It will now'beobserved that when the drive shaft I5 is rotated, the dolly 30 willhe carried in a circular path or orbit by the arm 24 about the shaft l5 so that the dolly will be caused to revolve bodily in :an orbit about the center of the tub as an axis, wh ile thegears I2, 21 and 28 A constitutev an epicyclic-train which "causes the dolly to rotate upon its-own axis as it revolves about the vat so that any point upon the-surface of the dolly taken in spaced relation to the. axis thereof, will describe an epicycloid, and that the numberof such curves produced during each complete revolution of the dolly-about the-shaftl5 will, of course, depend uponthe relative sizes of the'geara' It will'thus'be seen that hen the drive shaft .1; is continuously rotated in one directiomthe relation of the rotary speed of the dolly about its .own axis. relative to the revolving speed thereof al'iout thetub'. depends, of course, upon the rela- =7 tive sizes of-vthe gears constituting the epicyclic train, while the direction of travel'of the dolly during its rotary movement,-'depends upon the numberof gears constituting this train. For instance, if the idle gear 28 is omitted and the gear 21 mountedupon the dolly shaft caused to mesh directly with the flxedgear l2, the direction of 2 the rotary movement of the dolly about its own axis will be the reverse of that when said dolly is driven through the medium of the idle gear as .28. In other words, this dolly drive mechanism consisting of thea'rm 24 and gearsl2, 21 and'28 constitute a planetary gear mechanism which not only rotates the dolly about its own axis, but revolves the dolly about the center of the tub as'an axis which action of the dolly produces a I progressivewhirling or swirling movement of the washing fluid and the clothes contained therein about the interior of the tub. This actionof the dolly not only causes the clothes andwashin fluid to be vigorously agitated but also produces a continuous movement of the clothes over the. dolly surface with the result that in a reasonably wear. upon the clothes. I In Figures 6 and 'I, I have illustrated a mod;- lied form of dolly applied. to my, .novel drivev Lshort time, all of the clothes have come into fric-.

period oftime and witha minimum amount of mechanism. The dolly shown herein extends from I close proximity to the bottom M of the vat to a position above the normal level of the washing fluid near' the upper'end of the vat.

"In this instance, the bearing sleeve as 40 mounted in the outer end of the arm 24 is extended-some distance above the arm so as to terminate near the upper endof the dolly, while the dolly shaft as 4| extends upwardly through the sleeve 40 to a point above said sleeve. The interior of the sleeve 40 is, as shown, preferably of greater diameter than the outside diameter of the shaft 4| and is provided with a bearing bush-'- ing 42 composed of brass or other suitable material at the upper and lower end thereof for ro-.

tatably supporting the shaft 4|.

The dolly, as 44, in-this instance, comprises. a conical body portion 45 preferably having. opposite sides thereof extending in straight diverging planes from the upper end'to the base. The upper end of the body 45 is provided with an interior pendent socket member '46 which nor-' mally rests-upon the upper end of the sleeve 40 and receives the upperend of the shaft 4|. Any suitable-means may be employed to secure the shaftto the dolly so that said dolly and shaft will rotate in unison, such as the pin. 41.

The dolly may further be supported near its .lower end by the sleeve 40, and for this purpose, is formed with a plurality of, in. this in-' stance four, inwardly projectlngflanges 48 which have the lower ends thereof. terminating in spaced relation tothe cover .23. Each of the flanges 48 is formed at its lower inner edge.

'with a recess for recei in 'a bearing bushing 49 which has a press fit in the flanges or may be ranged blades 50 are securedto or. madeintegral .with the-conical'body 45 ofthe dolly to project outwardly therefrom. These blades arepreferably arranged in uniform circumferential spaced relation about the body and extend downwardly from the top thereof to the bottom. Although these blades may project a uniform distance from the surface of the dolly throughout their length, it .is preferable that they should gradually increase in radial width as they extend downwardly from their upper ends to their lower ends.

Further, the spirally arranged blades are preferabiy inclined with respect to a line normal to the surface of the cone body. This angle of inclination may be uniform throughout the length of the blades, but preferably gradually increases from the upper end of the blade toward the lower end, said lower ends projecting. substantial distances radially from the periphery of the dolly v at its base. Further, the degree of curvature of the spiral blades may vary substantially, but it is found that good results are obtained when the lower ends of the blades terminate approximately 180 around the circumference of the cone from the terminatirn of the upper ends of the blades. In this manner, channels or passageways are formed between the adjacent blades which extend spirally around the cone surface of the dolly and open at their lower ends to the bottom of the tub beyond the periphery of the base of the dolly. Also, the inclination of the blades with respect to a line normal to the cone surface forms a pocket upon one side of the blade, as indicated at 5|, and the side of the blade toward this pocket may, for the purpose of this specification, be termed the rearward side of the blade as it revolves about the axis of the shaft II and which the dolly 44.

In other words, by referring to Figure 3, it will be noted-that when the arm 2| is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the dolly shaft will be rotated about the axis thereof in a clockwise direction so as to produce what may be termed a rotary movement of the dolly as 44 about the axis of the dolly shaft M in a rearward direction in respect to the inclination of the blades 50 so that the washing fluid and clothes are caught by the 45 spirally arranged blades and moved or rotated about the axis of the dolly shaft, and 'as the dolly is revolved about the tub in a counterclockwise direction simultaneously with the rotary movement of the dolly just described, the clothesand washing fluid immediately ahead of the dolly will be engaged by the'blades and moved outwardly between the dolly and adjacent outer wall of the vat and then thrown off from the dolly at the rear thereof with a swirling motion which produces a tumbling turbulent mass at the rear of the dolly wherein the clothes are'separated or unfolded and prevented from being bunched or grouped. Moreover, the spiral arrangement of the blades in relation to the direction of rotation of the dolly, that is, the extension of the blades from the top of the dolly spirally downwardly and rearwardly over the face 'of the conical body, further enhances the agitation and cleansing of the clothes in that the clothes as they are engaged by-the dolly, are urged downwardly toward the 7 forms and construction of apparatus-as consticauses the water tocirculate in the vat I about tuting embodiments of the invention, I do not wish to restrict myself to the details of constructions or forms shown, as various changes and modifications may be readily made, without departing from the spirit of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim: I

1. v In a washing machine having a vat, an agitator therein comprising an upright frusto conical body portion, an annular flange integral with the body portion at the lowerend thereof, and

radially extending blades disposed axially of the for moving said agitator in an orbit within the vat, said agitator comprising a cone-shaped body portion and a spiral blade extending from the body portion for circulating the water and the clothes.

4. In a washing machine comprising a vat, an agitator rotatably mounted in the vat, means for moving said agitator in an orbit within the vat, said agitator comprising a cone-shaped body portion and a spiral blade extending from the body portion, said blade being inclined from normal to said central portion.

5. In a washing machine comprising a vat, an agitator rotatably mounted in the vat, means for moving said agitator in an orbit within the vat, said agitator comprising a central upstanding body portion and a plurality of spiral blades extending substantially axially of said body portion for circulating the water and the clothes.

6. In a washing machine comprising a vat, an agitator rotatably mounted in the vat, means for moving said agitator in an orbit within the vat, said agitator comprising a' central upstanding body portion having a cone-shaped surface and a plurality of spiral blades extending outwardly from said body portion.

' 7. In a washing machine comprising a vat, an agitator rotatablymounted inthe vat, means for comprising a central upstanding plurality of spiral blades extending outwardly from said body portion, said blades being in-' clined to a normal to said surface.

8. In a clothes washing machine, in combination, a vat, a rotatable agitator therefor and a drive mechanism for the agitator comprising a drive shaft passing upwardly through the bottom of the vat, a driven shaft, means for mounting said driven shaft wholly within the vat and eccentrlcallyof thedrive shaft for revolving said driven shaft about the axis of said drive shaft, means for positively rotating said driven shaft during the movement of revolution thereof, and means connecting the agitator with the upper end of the driven shaft to be driven thereby, said agitator having a part extending over the top and around" the sides of said drive mechanism to form a protecting housing therefor.

-9. In a clothes washing machine, in..,combination 'a vat; an agitator mounted in the vat at one side of the center thereof, means for moving said agitator in an'orbit about the center of the vat,

' means for rotating said agitator about its axis,

of said body downwardly.

10. In a clothes washing machine, in combinasaid agitator comprising a' frusto conical body and a substantially flat radially extending blade disposed-axially of the body from the upper end tion, a vat, an agitator mounted'in the vat at one side the center thereof, means for moving said agitator in an orbit within the vat, means for rotating said agitator about its axis, said agitator comprising an upright frusto conical body, an

annular flange integral with the body at the lower end thereof and a radially extending blade disposed axially of the body from the upper end thereof to said flange,

11. In a washing machine a vat, a drive shaft projecting through the bottom of the vat, an agitator supported by said drive shaft in eccentric relation thereto, saidagitator having an interior at least partially hollow, and means mounted in said hollow interior and connected to the drive shaft and to said agitator for rotating the agico-axial with said agitator, a gear rigidly mounted on said second shaft and 'operatively connected with said first gear for rotating the agitator about its own axis, and a member rigidly secured to the drive shaft and journaled on the second shaft for rotating the agitator about the axis or, the

drive shaft. a Y

' PETER EDUARD GELDHQF. 

